苏合香
Naming
Su He Xiang (Styrax)——Ming Yi Bie Lu (Miscellaneous Records of Famous physicians)
Origin
The resin exuded from the trunk of Liquidambar orientalis Mill. of family Hamamelidaceae.
Location
Mainly in Africa, India and Turkey, planted in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces in China.
Harvest
Squeezed the resin in autumn.
The actual smell and taste
Fragrant smell, light and slightly sweat taste.
Best quality
Sticky like ceactualose, delicate in texture, white-yellowish, semitransparent, thread-shaped while stirring it, without impurities and with fragrant smell.
Processing
Squeezed the resin and then refined it to get Su He Xiang, unprocessed.
Property
Pungent, warm; heart and spleen meridians entered.
Actions
Induce resuscitation and refresh mind, dispel cold and alleviate pain.
Indications
A. Block pattern of coma
This herb has weaker action of inducing resuscitation and refreshing mind, but it's warm in nature and with combining action of warming interior and dispelling cold to resolve damp-turbid. Thus it's suitable for cold block pattern of coma in diseases such as wind stroke and epilepsy that was caused by blockage of pathogenic cold and phlegm turbid. It is often combined with other resuscitation-inducing and mind-refreshing herbs, and interior-warming and cold-dispelling herbs. For instance, it is combined with She Xiang, An Xi Xiang and Tan Xiang and so on in Su He Xiang Wan from Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang. Besides, this formula can also be indicated for chest impediment pain.
B. Cold pain in chest and abdomen
It can warm the interior and dispel cold to alleviate pain, so it's usually indicated for stuffiness and fullness sensation and cold pain in chest and epigastrium caused by cold congealing and qi stagnation. Thus it is usually combined with the interior-warming and cold-dispelling, qi-moving and pain-stopping herbs.
Dosage and administration
Take pills or alcoholic preparation, 0.3~1 g once. Take proper dose for external application. It should not be used in decoction.